Spring clear-out

My posting has been very sparse lately - I suppose that Spring has sprung, and I have been spending as much time as possible outside in nature instead of sitting inside at a computer.  Of course, today it is snowing again, so here I sit.  But this past week I have managed to spend every morning walking at the park and campgrounds before work for at least an hour, and yesterday took Derek along with me too.  It has been beautiful out, one day even hitting 70 degrees!

My whole mood shifts dramatically to the better in the Spring.  Without being cold I am a lot less grumpy.  Without having to contend with snow and ice, I am outside a lot more, and not stressed as much about driving.  My energy level feels through the roof, and I am tackling many unfinished projects and clearing out old clutter both literally and figuratively.

It feels good to let go of things I am not using.  I still struggle with throwing things away or giving them away if I suspect that I could use them.  But the truth is, I am not using these old things, and somebody else could be.  I really do only wear about 3/4 of what I own, and avoid the remaining 1/4 for whatever reason.  Why not donate the stuff I will never wear anyway to charity?  Why not sell it if I need the money?  The same gos for art supplies, my other vice.  I do use much of it, but there is a great deal that I do not use anymore because it is not what I work with.  I don't need giant canvases anymore because I prefer to paint on paper.  I don't draw with charcoal anymore, so why do I have newsprint?  A college student would be thrilled to get what it sitting in my closet and has been for years.  I think I will donate this stuff very soon.  I feel better when the space is clear, and more capable of being creative and using the stuff that is useful to me.

In a way, I need to pare down even the stuff on my computer.  The computer is useful, but has so much stuff on it that I can easily distract myself with things I barely enjoy just to pass time.  Why not delete it off the computer and be faced with actually turning this beast off when I am no longer using it for the purpose I set out to do at the beginning? No plants vs zombies, or peggle.  I could do my emails and then log off, as I have been this past week, and go outside to play. Or, the week before that, log off and read a book.  Both much more rewarding than zombie squishing.  :)

Anyway, this hasn't been a very thought-out post.  But I am alive, and working and well.  Back to life with me.